Coupling-centering device.



Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

172 fa/m MO sk A W r w .uirnn snares ranians? enrich.

Q E'HI'ZE' 11?..EOHLK-"ING, OF ST. LOUIS, MIL'SSO'URI, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR AND COMPANY, 015 S1. LOUIS, MISSOURI, it CORPORATION QF NEW JERSE'Sg.

GO'UILZNG-CENTERING DEVICE.

sesame.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Application filed .Tune 15, 1917. Serial No. 174.923.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JonN M, Romlrmo, residing at city of St. Louis; State of Missouri, and being a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coupling-Ccnteriug Devices, of which the following is a full. clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art; to which it apper tains to make and to use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. which illustrate the preferred form of the invention; though it is to be uuderstoodtlnit the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope oi. the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

in said drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of my coupier centering device shown as applied to a fragmentary portion of the end sill of a car, parts of the striking plate casting being broken away and shown in section to better i illustrate the relation ot the rockers, their seats and the carry iron.

-Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the right hand portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section througb the striking casting carry iron and the aiiiliated-parts, being taken on the line 3-3 of F ig. 1. I

Fig. 4; is a similar vertical section, except that it is taken on the line H of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentaryview showing various cotiperating relations between the rocker seats in the striking casts ing. the rockers and the carry iron My present invention relates to means for supporting and centering car couplers, it

being a purpose to Form suitable seats in a. member adapted to be supported on or near the end of a car, and to mount a carry iron upon rockers supported to rock on such seats.

. The.arrangcment is such that the rockers and carry iron are linked together without the use of extraneous devices; and so that they mutually cooperateto r preserve their mutual relation. The rockers and the carry/iron are adapt:- ed to sway inunisoninresponse to 'i;he"latoral movement of a coupler supported by the carryiron; Eartsor th csrrr iron and the rockers, tl'igether with portions of the rocker seats co-acl; to so correlate the movable parts that they are responsive to gravity, and through this medium automatically center the coupler, whenever its deflecting influences cease or are suillciently abated.

Friction is n'iinhnized and the carry iron may be supported at diilerent heights by reversing some of the parts.

Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter and, of course, are included within the scope of the invention.

Referring to the. drawings, the coupler centering device is shown as secured to a channcl-shapcd end sill 1, a portion oi the web and the lower flange 2 oi which is cut away to receive a striking plate casting 2' Said striking plate is in general of inverted U-shapc formation and comprises a rear vertical wall l riveted or otherwise secured to the web of end sill 1, a 't'erward or front vertically disposed wall 5 spaced in advance of rear wall 4, outer side walls (3, inner side walls 7 and an upper horizontal web 8 connecting the upper portions of trout and rear walls 5 and 4, respectively, and having a rear general extension 8 projecting back of end sill 1 and between draft. sills 9. Contions 0*]? the outer wall 5 contained therein are arched or curved to improve the strength of the wall at these locations, and the portions of the rear and "forward walls 4 and 5, respectively, that are within said logs, project in their lower portions toward each other to form spaced rocker Seats 11.

Projecting below said rocker seat in the front wall 5 oi" each leg, is an extension 12 and projecting below the rocker seat in the r rear wall 4- in each leg is a similar extension 13, extensions 12 and 13 being suitably connected as by bolts 14-.

The outer side walls 6 of the crtic allcgs oi the striking plate casting 3, are provided with flanges 15 secured to the bottom flange is provided on its under forced and braced by ribs 16 connecting them with the lower port-ions of side walls c. Said side walls 6 also contain apertures 17 through which may he passed rockers 18, one of said rockers being positioned in each leg of the striking casting 3 to he supported y the internal rocker seats 11 therein. Each rocker 18 is douhle-ended and is provided with oppositely projecting inter mediate trunnions 19 having straight or flat surfaces adapted to beer on rocker seats 11, Which rocker seats have proluherant arcuatc bearing surfaces 20. The end portions of rocker seats 1.1 are upturned to form sto s 21 for the rockers 18.

is best illustrated in Figs. 1 4-. and each end. of rocker 18 has a fiat bearing surface 22 lying between outwardl; projecting flanges 23 which form grooves at those ends.

'lrunnions 19 of rockers 18 are positioned nearer one rocker end than the other, that said rockers maybe reversible and he adapt ed to support a carry iron at a greater or less height from the top of the rails of the track. Carry iron 21 has a central ll-shapcd portion 25 adapted to receive and embrace the shank of the coupler indicated at C in Fig. 1. Progressing outwardly to ward its opposite ends, carry iron 24- is of a more or less inverted ll-shapc form and.

side with prol uncrant arcuate rocker bearing surfaces 26. Rocker bearing surfaces 26 of carry iron 4'1: contact with the uppermost flat surfaces of the ends of rockers 18 and lie in the. groove formed by said. straight surfaces 25?. and the terminal flanges 23 oi: the rockers 18. The ends of carry iron 24 project out wardly beyond the upper ends of rm'rkcrs 18 and have depending hooks or stops 2? adapted to engage said rocker nds. it will, therefore, be seen that the opposite ends of carry iron 24 are held in rocking engagement with the upper ends of rockers 18 and against separation and lateral displacement in connection therewith.

V In assembling the coupler centering dc vice, bolts 14 may he removed and the carry iron 24: may he slipped upwardly between the extensions 12 and 13 oi the forward and rear Walls 5 and 4, respectively. that lie Within the vertical leg portions of striking casting 3. By reason of the space between extensions 12 and 13 and the apertures 17 in side walls 6, the spaced vertical legs of striking casting 3 are bifurcated and to such an extent that carry iron 24 may be inserted therehctween to a suiiicient height to permit the rockers 18 to he in sorted through openings 17 in side walls 6. Said openings 1? are of greater W11 their lower portions to permit he pa- 0:3 rocker trunnions 19, said portions having considerable shown in 4, to give adequate clearance and obviate the necessity of a careful passage of rockers 18 through s'eida'p rtiires 17. After the rockers 18 have heeifiposi tioncd so that the under flat their trunnions 19 rest upon the ercuate bearing surfaces 20 of the rocke seats 11, carry iron 24 may he lowered so that 'its arcuatc bearing surfaces 26 may enter he tween; the uppermost flanges 23 of rockers 18 and rest upon the adjacent streight'hearing surfaces 22 suspending said. carrying iron between rockers 18. ilhereefterg holts 1% may be replaced" to unite theiloiiver entensions 12 and 13 of the vertical striking plate legs.

i /"hen connected cars are on a straight piece of track so that the coupler shank is in its normal undeflectcd position, the parts of the centering. devicewil'l a%ume the positions illustrated in Fig. 1.1 When such connected cars are in motion and-the coupler shank C is causedtonewing leter ally, carry iron. 24 which embraces shank is similarly swung in tion that the coupler shank moves- As a result, the rocker 18 in each vertical leg oi striking castin 3 rocks on its bearingseats surfaces of the same mec- 11 in the striking casting and looth of said rockers will be inclined in the same-direction. As is Well depicted in Fig. ti eech rocker will be restrained from ezcessive tiifi ing by one or the other of the upturned ends 21 of rocker seats 11, which ends serve as stops.

The inclined positions that the rockers 18 assume are limited by stops 21 to a degree that causes the articulated rockers 18 and carry iron 24: to always remain under the influence of gravity as exerted through the weight of the carry iron 24: and the coupler shank G. Consequently, as soon as the con pier deflecting influences are sutlicientlyyo' lieved, carry iron 2i and rockers 18 auto matically sway hack to the positions indicatcd in Fig 1, thereby centering the 'coupler C.

From the foregoing it is apparent that l have devised a coupler centering device comprising a plurality of rugged melnheis loosely articulated so as to sway in unison and in a frictionuninimizing manner, It is also clear that these parts retain. their operative positions and co-act without being"- conncctccl by extraneous devices. Their re lation to the striking plate casting 3 is such that they are unable to become dislodged and inoperative, thereby acquiring the virtoe of constant reliability.

What 1 claim is:

1. In combination in acoupler-centering device, a striking plate provided with seats on opposite sides of a coupler opening un weirdly directed rockers nearing on sold sects, one. cerryoron suspended from rockers adapted to impart parallel motion to said rockers.

2. In combination in a coupler-centering device, a striking plateprovided with seats 3 on opposite sides of a coupler opening, a

carry-iron and rockers rockablo on said seats and carry-iron, said carr iron being supported bysaid rockers-and having a coupler-centering portion depending between the" lower portions of said rockers.

3. In combination in a. coupler-centering device, a striking plate, seats on opposite sides of a coupler opening therein, rockers bearing on said seats and a carry-iron suspended from upper portions of said rockers ---'to depend therebetween, said carry-iron and rockers being adapted to have simultaneous displacement laterally of the coupler openmg. i 4. In combination in a centering device, a support. having spaced rocker seats, up "standing rockers bearing on? said seats and a carry-iron spanning the space between and articulated with the upper portions of said rockers and adapted to move to similarly incline said rockers eithcr'in one direction or the other and" also to automatically center itself and said rockers.

5. In combination in a coupler-centering device, a striking plate having combined rocker seats and stops, upstanding rockers mounted therein and a carryaron suspended rom and between said rockers adapted to shift laterally with a, coupler similarly in- Lclining sai drockers during such shifting,"thc stops co-acting with [said rockers to cause the same and sai carry-inon to be,sel2t-centering.

tin- In combination in a couplerscentering vPdev'ice a support having portions on opposite slides ot at opening, upwardly projectihgirocki's internally"mounted in said portions, affcoupler-support entering saidrock: ets adapted totbe' shifted to similarly in- .cline said rockers, and means correlating said. rockers and coupler-support to make the samxself-centering.

'Z. In combination in a coupler-centering device, a striking plate, and a plurality of successively contacting coupler-supporting members some contacting with and being supported by said striking-plate, there being.

a straight contact-surface cooperating with an arcuate contactsurfaee in each pa1r.of

contiguous portions otfadjoining elements.

8. In combination 'in' a 'milpler-centering device, an inverted U-Shaped strikingplate provided with- U-sheped *s'ea'ts, 'upwardly' projecting rockers mounted in said seats and a U-shaped carry-iron having. substantially inverted U-shaped portions cooperatively engaging said'rockers.

9.11: combination in a coupler-centering device, a striking casting having rocker seats on opposite sides of a coupler opening, reversible swaying rockers mounted in said seats, and a carry-iron borne by said rockers and adapted to be held at different altitudes by a reversal of the rockers.

10. In combination with a car end sill, of a striking plate secured to said our end and comprising spaced forward and rear walls, a carry-iron adapted to be inserted between said front and rear walls from be neath said striking plate, and rockabl'e devices mounting said carry-iron to move laterally with a coupler and insertible into said striking plate to bear thereon at the rear of its front wall and above the bottom of. the striking plate.

11. @[p combination with the endstructure of'an underframe,- of a striking plate connected thereto and having front and rear walls: internally shouldered to form spaced sets of'seats, a double ended rocker between the seats of each set having trunnions bearing on the seats, a carry-iron connectin and mounted upon the upper portions 0? the rockers,v said rockers being reversible to dhan'ge the altitude of said carry-iron.

] 12. In combination in a coup cr-centering 5 device, a striking plate provided with spaced seats, a pair of reversible double ended rock- "ers having trunnions rockable on said seats 111d a carry-iron mounted on the ends of the rockers that are uppermost, the opposite ends of said rockers and of said carry-iron being shaped to 006 er'a'te in preventing disconucction of S:ll( rockers and carry-lron.

13. In combination in a coupler-centering device, a pair of upwardly directed rockers, supporting seats on which thcyrock, and a carry-iron extending over and guidedly engaging; the upper portions ofvsaid rockers, said carry-iron having depending hooks at 105 its opposite ends adapted to engage said rockers, whereby said rockers and carry-iron may sway without disconnection from each other.

14. In combination in a coupler-centering device, a pair of upwardly directed rockers, supporting seats upon which they rock upturned at their ends to form stops, and a carry-iron engagingly extending over' the upper end portions of said rockers and pro- Kl at its opposite end portions with stops, said rockers and carry-iron being adapted to sway and to be so restrained by said stops that they are selficentering by gravity.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. ROHTJFING,

lYitnesses:

'Joim IB, HERMAN, War. J. ROA. 

